PAC to prioritise 'massive profiteering' in accommodation for asylum seekers

Sinn Fein's John Brady said further investigation of the cost of the new childrenâs hospital, which has climbed to âŹ2.24bn, would be on the agenda for PAC members. File Picture: PA
Highlighting "profiteering" in the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers will be a key focus of the newly re-established DĂĄil Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chairman John Brady has said.
In its first meeting since the general election, Mr Brady said examining how contracts are awarded to accommodation providers would be a âcritical roleâ of PAC in the years ahead.
âOne of the most pressing issues I intend to prioritise is the massive profiteering in the provision of accommodation for those seeking asylum in this State.
âThe State has paid out billions of euro with, what I believe, very little transparency.â
He highlighted the rising costs of the international protection accommodation services, which exceeded âŹ1bn in 2024, describing it as an âindustryâ.
Mr Brady questioned whether or not contracts awarded for accommodation services provided value for money for the taxpayer.
The Sinn FĂ©in TD also said further investigation of the cost of the new childrenâs hospital, which has climbed to âŹ2.24bn, would be on the agenda for PAC members.
He highlighted the difficulty in getting some witnesses to come before the committee previously, saying there was a âdeep frustration and disappointmentâ that the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board was unable to appear in the last DĂĄil.
âI would like to move quickly to invite those bodies into the PAC, to get some of the many very important questions answered,â Mr Brady said.
Mr Brady said PAC would also be examining the failed Arts Council IT system â which cost the State âŹ6.7m â as well as the issue of bogus self-employment. He described it as systemic in RTĂ, the gig economy and for postmasters.
Mr Brady said he hoped the first public meetings of PAC would take place on May 22, with the first items on the agenda likely to be either the Arts Council or the new childrenâs hospital.
Fianna FĂĄil TD Albert Dolan was critical of what he described as the âoutsourcingâ of decision making, particularly hitting out at the spend on consultants.
He said he did not believe that public money was much better spent in 2025 than it was when he was first elected as a councillor in 2019.
âI understand that inflation takes its toll, but we have spent more on consultants and outsourcing decision making in the last five years than getting actual projects done,â Mr Dolan said.
âOur role is more important now than it has ever been. We are in a time of huge global uncertainty and, while our public finances remain strong, it is incredibly concerning what could lay before us. Our role to ensure value for money is vital.â
Fine Gaelâs Grace Boland said the work of PAC would be to try drive âbetter efficiencies wand value for money with the public serviceâ.
Ms Boland described how people arenât frustrated with the amount of money they pay in tax, but rather at the âwaste they see in the public serviceâ.